Courage: A Hero's Journey
by spaboolly
Summary: A collection of stories inspired by Twilight Princess. Content rating is comparable to the game. Appearances by several main and supporting characters.
1. The Visitor

**Welcome. This is a series of short stories based on Twilight Princess. Other games may be referenced in the future. The story title is lame, but I had to use one for the full anthology (or whatever you want to call it). Disclaimer: I own nothing; Nintendo owns everything. Hope you enjoy.**

Slowly, Link returned to consciousness. He felt strange. He tried to remember what had happened, but he was still dazed and confused. _I was at the spring talking to Ilia. Ilia!_ He remembered now. Ilia, Colin, the marauders. He bolted upright, only to find himself restrained by a chain cuffed to his right foreleg. A moment before, he'd been so shocked that he hadn't even noticed that he was now a quadruped. He tried to break free, but the chain held.

"Now, don't do that, little wolf. You'll hurt yourself."

Link looked around, but found no one. Then the chain that had kept him from trying to escape broke, and a strange being appeared outside a set of iron bars.

"If you can get out of there, maybe I'll help you," she said. He looked around the small, dimly lit prison cell. Things looked different from a wolf's perspective. His canine senses revealed a hole in the ground where he could dig himself out. Once he was free, the creature hopped on his back.

"There's someone I want you to meet," she said. She led him through the sewers and up a spiral staircase leading to the roof. Outside, the sky was tinged an odd dingy yellow, like the sunset Link had watched back in Ordon Village a few days before. But Link sensed that there was something different about this atmosphere. Something unnatural.

From the roof, they headed into the castle's highest tower through an open window. When they arrived at their destination behind a large double door, Link found a mysterious figure staring out the window into the shadowy twilight. The person was wearing a full-length, hooded black cloak, making Link unable to tell who or what it was.

"Midna?!" the person gasped. "Where have you been? The guards have been looking everywhere for you."

"So, this is the one you wanted," Link's companion answered, apparently dismissing the figure's concerns. "Somehow he's not what I expected."

Before Link could silently wonder what the creature, Midna, meant by that, the woman wearing the cloak turned to face them, though the hood and a muffler still hid her face. She knelt before Link and touched his paw.

"You were imprisoned?" she asked. Link nodded his lupine head, knowing he could not speak. The woman stood and returned to the window, staring forlornly past the lightly fogged glass.

"So, you should tell him what's going on. Don't you think... Twilight Princess?" The impish grin on Midna's dark face made her weighted words more concerning to Link, who was beginning to understand that there was a very important connection between what happened to him at the spring and this conversation.

After a moment's consideration, the woman spoke. She told Link of how creatures from the Twilight Realm had invaded the kingdom. Her kingdom. The once-beautiful land of Hyrule.

"The world is shrouded in Twilight. But I remain its Princess." She turned once again and removed her hood. "I am Zelda. Link, you must leave quickly. The guard will be here soon. I wish you luck."

With Midna still seated on his back, Link turned and left. As the pair made their way back out, Link's acute animal hearing alerted him to slow, heavy footsteps moving up the stairway of the tower. Knowing he could do nothing else, the wolf leaped to his freedom without looking back.

* * *

Zelda watched her only ally make his way across the castle's roof until he was out of view. _Good luck, my Hero. _She lowered her eyes to the floor, fighting back the cold feeling of despair that enveloped her just as tightly as the cloak she wore.

"Enjoying the view, Princess? King Zant asked. "Twilight has never looked so beautiful." She offered no response. "You made a wise decision by surrendering your kingdom to me. You should be happy to be alive."

"How can I be happy when my people are living as soleless spirits, completely unaware of what's happening around them?"

The King of Twilight turned and left her to her solitude.


	2. Reflections

Link stared into the spring. He was grateful to be back in his own body, but it would take a little more time to get used to the idea of being a hero and having the fate of the world resting on his shoulders.

He looked into the crystal clear water. Only days before, he had seen himself as a young Ordonian ranch hand. He'd had no knowledge of the great evil sweeping across the land of Hyrule. He looked into his own eyes and was surprised by what he saw. Yesterday his eyes had reflected bravery and wonder. Now he saw the burning gaze of a hero.

He turned to leave the spring and head to the Forest Temple, as the light spirit had instructed him to do.

"You didn't think you were rid of me, did you, Link?" Midna asked. "Don't look so surprised. We're a team, you and I. We're in this together. Besides, when our quest leads you back into the Twilight Realm, you'll need my help."

Midna disappeared back into Link's shadow and they headed off in search of the Forest Temple, the other three light spirits, and a new and wonderful adventure.

* * *

Author's Note: Yeah... this one is super short. Just a quiet moment with Link thinking about stuff. In keeping with the games, Link never has any dialogue in my stories. I guess I should mention that the next few chapters will contain spoilers for TP, but really if you haven't played it by now you are just seriously missing out.


	3. Sacrifices

Midna and Link walked into the light spirit's grotto in Lake Hylia. They had found their way through another dungeon, defeated Morpheel, and retrieved the last Fused Shadow. But Link was about to face a new enemy, and Midna was about to face her worst fears.

Link sensed someone watching them. He turned around and bumped right into a strange looking dude with a fish on his head. That was the last Link knew of Fish Dude before he was knocked out, impaled through the head with a shard of dark magic, and once again transformed into a wolf.

"Midna," the man said. Unable to hide in his Link's shadow while he was in his canine form, Midna had reappeared in her strange impish incarnation. Link was slowly regaining consciousness. He could hear Midna's voice engaged in conversation with another voice he didn't recognize, but presumed belonged to Fish Dude. He only caught the last part of the conversation.

"I will never help you, King Zant. Nothing you can do will change that." At that point, Fish Dude (or, as Midna called him, King Zant) summoned his dark power to steal the Fused Shadows... and Midna's life energy. Fish Dude turned and left, leaving Midna to her death on the damp rocks of the grotto. Link stood and walked on four trembling legs to his companion's limp body. He gently nuzzled his snout under her midsection, lifting her up onto his back. As he did so, Midna stirred slightly, summoning the last of her strength to warp them to Hyrule Castle.

"Find... Zelda..."

Link wasted no time in following her request. He couldn't let her die. She was his ally. His companion. His friend. He had to save her. In a brief moment of contrast to his normally quiet character, Link sought to reassure her that she would be safe. But in his lupine form, the thoughts refused to manifest as anything more than a pained whine.

Link took the route through the sewers to get to Zelda's tower. When he arrived, his heart nearly stopped cold. She was gone. For a moment, Link and Midna feared the worst, but then Zelda's shadowy figure appeared behind them.

"Midna," she said, "what's happened to you?"

"Zant," she whispered. Even in her weakened state, Link thought she spat the name as though it were a curse. "He stole the Fused Shadows and disappeared back into the Twilight Realm." Zelda lowered her head, whether from shame or condolence Link couldn't tell. "Zelda." Midna's voice was barely audible now, even with Link's canine enhanced hearing. "Could you tell him about the Mirror of Twilight?" The princess raised her head to meet Midna's eyes.

"I think I'm beginning to understand exactly who and what you are." Zelda picked up Midna and held the small creature in her arms. She gave her a trusting, almost loving look. Then the symbol of the Sacred Triforce of Wisdom emblazoned on Zelda's hand began to glow, followed by the rest of her body.

"Zelda," Midna said in horror, "No... Link! STOP HER!" Link stood there, bewildered. He realized too late exactly what was happening. And then Zelda disappeared, the power given to her by the goddesses now coursing through Midna's veins. She and Link stood there in silence, heads hung low, for many minutes that seemed to stretch into centuries in their heavy hearts.

Link's bright blue eyes were aimed at the spot where Zelda had stood, but they saw nothing. The only perception to enter Link's mind was the overwhelming sense of shock and grief. His inner voice, normally a deeply insightful analysis of everything going on around him, had fallen silent except for one single thought, echoing over and over again. _I failed her._

As the shock began to dissipate and anger to take hold in its place, muscles tensing and the beginnings of tears stinging at the back of the despairing hero's eyes, the dreadful silence was finally broken.

"Come, Link. We have to ensure that her sacrifice is not in vain. We have to defeat Zant, and restore the glory of the goddesses to the beautiful kingdom of Hyrule."


	4. Crime and Punishment

King Zant slowly walked up the long, winding staircase that led to Zelda's chamber. When he finally reached the top, he politely knocked on the door rather than barging in, a courtesy he had habitually shown to make the princess feel less a prisoner. Not one that she seemed to appreciate either; as usual, there was no response.

"Answer to your king, my Princess," Zant said. Again, there was only silence. He unsealed the lock on the door with his dark magic and found himself alone in a dark room lit only by the curtain of Twilight. Zelda was gone. Zant was so angry he thought his fish head might explode.

"Guard!" he roared. The rattled guard promptly appeared in the doorway. He looked around the dreary room. Something was missing, but he realized too late what, or rather who, it was. In his fury, Zant had used his dark magic to turn the hapless guard into a hideous Twilight monster. Zant stormed through Hyrule Castle to the front gate. He mounted his flying monster and headed for the vast, stretching golden sands of the Gerudo Desert. When he arrived at the Cave of Ordeals, he found Ganondorf waiting for him. Zant dropped to his knees in front of the false god.

"O Dark Lord. Please, I beg of you. Forgive me," Zant pleaded hopelessly.

"Insolent fool!" Ganondorf shrieked. "How could you let her slip from your grasp? What use are you to me if you cannot even manage the simplest of tasks? And then you were defeated by a mere _farm boy_ who believes himself to be a hero. You have failed me."

"Please, my Lord! I swear I will not fail you again!"

The Dark Lord stared down at the pitiful excuse for a king with a menacing glare that seemed to freeze the blood in his veins. A second passed, then two, and finally his false god spoke.

"I will make sure of that."

* * *

A blood-curdling scream pierced the silent darkness of the desert sands. Link whipped around to face the source of the awful sound. Midna appeared from his shadow, a ghost against pale moonlight.

Link gave her a questioning look. _What in the name of the goddesses was that?_

"It sounded like a poor creature in agony. Best to move on. Unless you wish to go charging to the rescue, Mr. Hero." Midna tried to disguise her concern with her typical nonchalant humor, but Link could easily detect the real worry in his friend's eyes. Zelda's sacrifice had greatly impacted them both, bringing about a sense of empathy for the beings of this world that Midna had hidden well but Link suspected had always been there, buried under pain and distrust.

As Link studied his companion, he felt his curiosity about the relationship between her and the mysterious King Zant resurface. Had Midna been a subject of the Twilight Realm who betrayed her king? How did she fit in to the Twilight monsters' invasion of Hyrule? Why had she chosen to aid Zelda and Link?

The one question that did not enter Link's mind was whether Midna could be trusted. To that, he knew the answer, and also knew because of this trust that she would answer his other unspoken questions when the time was right.

"Can't get enough of my beauty, can you?" Midna's familiar impish smirk had returned, her fears allayed by her own inner acknowledgment of the implicit trust she had come to place in her faithful hero. "Come on. We must resume our journey to what the people of your world call the Arbiter's Grounds."

Though Link didn't particularly like the sound of that, he of course made no objection as Midna faded back into his shadow. He realized he could see his shadow much more clearly now even against the dark sands. He swept the desert for a source of light, and found a dull orange glow emanating from over a series of hills to the southwest. He readjusted his heading toward the glow, what he had come to call his "hero's instinct" telling him it would lead him to where he needed to go.

* * *

After hours of indescribable suffering, Ganondorf's onslaught of interrogation and punishment seemed to be finished. His fury had faded, replaced by the cold fire within him that his evil nature sustained. The thirst for power had nearly driven him mad long ago, leaving plots of its acquisition as his mind's only motivation for rational thought. He looked at Zant, curled at his feet, and felt a small tinge of sympathy. He instantly crushed the feeling. _Others only stand in the way of power. Loyalty, trust, friendship. They are for the weak. For those who are afraid to face their trials alone. But true power can never be shared. This fool is a minion, a mindless pawn, undeserving of even the consideration of sparing his life. At least... for the moment._

"You keep no other secrets from me?" the Dark Lord growled.

"N-No, my lord." Zant was still trembling, his body racked with the unnatural pain of Ganondorf's powerful magic. A moment later, the sensation eased. Zant took a few deep breaths to steady himself, before rising to his knees. He did not dare raise his eyes to meet the gaze of his false god.

"You should have killed the Princess when you had the chance. Now _I _must contend with the repercussions of your error." Ganondorf turned away from Zant, thinking of the least revealing way to approach the next section of his agenda. If his predictions were accurate, the Princess's sense of responsibility for the actions of her usurper would lead her interloping hero to rid Ganondorf of an inconvenient obstacle and save him the trouble of betraying the token king. "She will challenge you again."

Now King Zant did rise, meeting the eyes of the Dark Lord with a look that left no guesses as to the true depths of his hubris.

"She will fail."

* * *

Author's Note: This is the first story which doesn't actually appear in the game. Really enjoyed writing this one. Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays, or winter for those who don't celebrate any particular religious/cultural festival.


	5. Old Dreams

**Author's Note: This is not meant as a crossover, though it does heavily reference events from Ocarina of Time. This may not be entirely consistent with the official timeline, but hey... artistic license. There are also a few references to another series I'm a fan of (not a video game) so bonus points to anyone who catches them. Okay, enough babbling. Read!**

The wolf walked to the stone in the center of the Sacred Grove. He listened to the melody resonating from it, thinking that it sounded vaguely familiar. Link shook the feeling of deja vu from his mind. He had more important things to worry about.

He echoed the notes playing from some mysterious mechanism within the stone. As he reproduced the tune, it suddenly hit him. That melody... was Zelda's Lullaby. She had taught it to him so that he may prove to those he met his allegiance to the Royal Family. She'd asked him to help her defend her family against Ganondorf, a dark-hearted man from the Gerudo tribe who served as an advisor to the King. But how could that be? Until he'd been transformed into a wolf, he'd never met Princess Zelda, most certainly never as a child. And there _was_ no native tribe in the Gerudo Desert. Not anymore. _How could this be? These memories..._

A light, gentle voice, like the rustle of leaves by a summer breeze, broke through Link's confounded jumble of thoughts and memories. "Seek me at the Kakariko Graveyard," the disembodied voice spoke. "I will explain."

Link looked around for the voice's owner, but saw no one. Then he realized that he was no longer in the Sacred Grove in Faron Woods, but in a different woodland, one he could not escape feeling was just as familiar to him even though he did not recognize it. He was also no longer a wolf, but a young boy instead. He took another look at his dreamlike surroundings. _I've been here before. I'm sure of it. And that voice..._

"I will explain," the girl's voice repeated. "Come to my grave." Then everything went black, and Link awoke to find himself once again in his wolf form (which he was a bit disturbed to now consider normal), sitting on his haunches on the grassy floor of the Sacred Grove. The music stone still sat before him, playing a melody that suddenly seemed to haunt him.

"What happened to you, Link? I was worried there for a minute." This time, he was relieved to hear a voice he immediately recognized as Midna's. _Had that been a dream? It couldn't have been. It was too vivid. Too... real. _

"Come on, Link. We have to find what we're looking for," Midna reminded gently.

* * *

After the duo located the legendary Master Sword, Link, now in human form, turned to Midna to make a request.

"Link, what happened to you earlier?" Midna asked, knowing without needing an explanation that his sudden decision to return to Kakariko Village was connected to his strange behavior earlier.

He looked away, uncertain how to recount his strange experience without making her worry. When he looked up again, Midna seemed to be struggling with a decision of her own. She was determined to stop Zant before he became too powerful, but as she met Link's eyes, the hero also knew that she trusted him to know what needed to be done. If he thought a trip to Kakariko would help them against their enemy, then that's where they would go next.

But not without one of Midna's customary quips. "Going to check up on your girlfriend, eh?" She winked at Link before melting back into his shadow. "A shame she cares more for your horse than you, my little hero."

Link couldn't help making a face that was somewhere between exasperation at her antics and pain at the thought that she was probably right.

* * *

After Midna warped the pair back to the outskirts of Kakariko Village, Link immediately bounded toward the graveyard without even bothering to return to human form. When he arrived, he found a glowing green light surrounding one of the tombstones, and took it as a sign that he had discovered what he was looking for. He read the inscription on the headstone, which declared the site a memorial to those who had lost their lives in the service of the Royal Family during Ganondorf's Insurrection. Another foreign, yet familiar memory, assaulted Link's mind then. The King's advisor had initiated a violent coup d'etat to usurp the throne and its power over the land. The Royal Family disappeared, including the young Princess Zelda, whom Link had last seen escaping the capital city on horseback with a servant. She had given him something, but he couldn't quite remember what. And he didn't understand how this even connected to recent ones. How was Zelda still the princess if Ganondorf had taken over the kingdom? How long ago had the Insurrection taken place? Long enough to be forgotten by history, if the fact that Link had never learned of it was any indication. He knew that Zelda had special powers granted to her by the goddesses themselves that may have allowed her to survive so long. But what about him?

"You have had many reincarnations, young hero," the same mysterious voice answered his unspoken question. "You lived in the time of Ganondorf's Insurrection. Princess Zelda requested your help after she learned of the evil that consumes the Dark Lord's soul. You defeated him, banishing him to another realm where he could not use the Triforce of Power to interfere with the people of Hyrule. But none of the three bearers of the Triforce can ever be truly gone from the world, or else it would fall out of balance. Ganondorf's spirit has once again gained strength, and he will soon attempt to spread his evil over this land, as he has so many times before, and will so many times to come.

"O great Hero of Time, you must again save Hyrule from the power of evil." Link was enveloped by the strange green glow, and felt himself returned to human form. He opened his mouth to ask who this unknown spirit was, but once again she seemed to sense his thoughts. The world around him blurred and dissolved, then reformed into a dark wood. For a moment, he thought he was back in the Sacred Grove in front of the musical stone, but instead he stood upon a large circular stone in front of what appeared to be a temple. The stone was inscribed with intricate symbols, some of which Link had seen before. Though in what lifetime, he couldn't say. His clothes were slightly different too. Simpler and made of older material. And he held a small musical instrument in his hand, a deep blue ocarina with a golden Triforce symbol carved around the mouthpiece.

Some unknown instinct compelled Link to bring the Ocarina to his lips, another familiar memory that wasn't quite his dictating the tune he played. It was light and gentle and reminded him of the forest. Just like the mysterious voice. As he played, the stone he was standing on seemed to resonate with a strange force Link had come to think of as spiritual energy. When he finished the song and opened his eyes, he saw a small girl before him. She was clad in green robes similar to his own and wore a slight grin that looked both pleased and sad.

"You remembered my song," the girl said. Her voice was the same one that had guided him here. "It has been a long time since we stood here together. Many lifetimes. Do you remember, Link?"

He didn't remember exactly, but he knew that she was right. They had stood here together before. And he sensed that the moment she spoke of had been very important.

"It was when I realized that I carried the spirit of one of the Sages. In life, anyway. Like you, the Sages are reborn again and again, but they are embodied by different hosts with each new life." She stepped closer and slowly reached up to brush her ghostly hand against his cheek. Though he couldn't actually feel it, the gesture bespoke as much as it would between two physical beings. He could see tears beginning to form in her forest green eyes as she looked at him. "Our time has long since passed, my Hero. But I needed to see you again. To warn you of Ganondorf's threat. Zant has taken over the kingdom of light in accordance with Ganondorf's plans. You must defeat them both for the land to once again be free."

Link had by now become accustomed to his role as a hero, and had learned to quell his fears when facing Twilit monsters or climbing through lava-filled dungeons. But the idea of facing down a being as powerful as the Dark Lord Ganondorf made him shift uneasily. The girl did not miss his minute display of doubt.

"Fear not, Great Hero," she said as she stepped back from him. "Power alone is no more than a burdensome weapon to those without the courage or wisdom to wield its strength. You will defeat the Dark Lord, as you have a thousand times in a thousand lifetimes." She paused for a moment, and finally her tears began to fall. "You must resume your quest now, Link. Remember that you are not alone. Your spirit guides you, as do your friends in the world of the living. All will be as it is meant to, as long as you believe in yourself."

When Link opened his lupine eyes, he saw Midna floating just above him, worriedly petting his furry head. She immediately stopped, startled, when she noticed him awake and watching her. She huffed and looked away indignantly, crossing her arms across her impish body.

"Well, I hope you had a good nap. Care to get back to saving your world from Zant?" Yes, his friends did guide him well. He would defeat Zant _and_ Ganondorf. For all the beings, past and present, whose souls depended on his skill and courage.


End file.
